ACTIVITIES OF THE TRANSCARPATHIAN REGIONAL COMMITTEE FOR PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORTS DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF TOTAL SOVIETIZATION (1946)

The article highlights the sports policy during the first year of total Sovietization. On January 22, 1946, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Transcarpathian region was established as an administrative part of the Ukrainian SSR. During the period of Transcarpathian Ukraine (1944–1945), the development of physical culture and sports in the region was regulated by a resolution of the People’s Council of Transcarpathian Ukraine (PCTU) dated April 10, 1945. A Central Sports Committee was established under the Department of Education of the PCTU, which on May 25, 1945, was reorganized into the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports under the PCTU. This committee was headed by Vasyl Fedak, who also led the newly formed Committee for Physical Culture and Sports under the Executive Committee of the Transcarpathian Regional Council of Workers’ Deputies from the time of the region’s creation. The State Archive of the Transcarpathian Region contains a separate inventory of Fund 1211, which holds documents concerning the sports policy of Transcarpathian Ukraine. Inventory No. 1, titled «Committee for Sports Affairs under the Executive Committee of the Transcarpathian Regional Council of Workers’ Deputies», includes 16 files from the year 1946. These contain orders from the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Ukrainian SSR and responses to them from regional authorities; orders and directives from the Transcarpathian Regional Department of Public Education concerning sports development, Spartakiad events, and the military and physical training of young men and women, among others. Also included are resolutions from the bureau of the regional Komsomol (LKUJU), aimed at using sports to impose Soviet ideology on the population, such as: «On the participation of Komsomol organizations in the relay dedicated to the completion of the first year of the Fourth Stalin Five-Year Plan» and «On the preparation and holding of the celebration of the 29th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution». A separate block of documents consists of reports on the development of physical culture and sports in the region during the first year of Soviet rule. Analysis of the archival materials suggests that in 1946, the main objectives of the Soviet authorities were to organize the work of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sports under the Executive Committee of the Transcarpathian Regional Council of Workers’ Deputies and to instill Soviet standards in the field of physical culture and sports throughout the region. The implementation of these transformations first required the recruitment of reliable personnel, which were in short supply. Organizational and mass work included the establishment of voluntary sports societies. In 1946, five such societies were created: «Bolshevik», «Red Star», «Dynamo», «Spartak», and «Lokomotyv». Another major objective was the reconstruction of sports facilities and the production of sports equipment. Funding allocated for sports development was clearly insufficient. Among the mass sports events organized by the regional committee were the scheduling and implementation of competitions such as rural youth athletics, volleyball, pre-conscription multi-sport GTO contests, cycling, cross-country running, etc. Urban competitions were also held in five cities across the region, along with various regional-level tournaments. A key goal was to involve as many participants as possible. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts actively participated in mass events organized by the Communist Party, Komsomol, and Soviet authorities: May Day, Victory Day, the All-Union Physical Culture Day, and others. The committee also presented its vision for the further support and development of both traditional sports (football, boxing, tennis) and new disciplines (track and field, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball). Among the «promising» types of sports mentioned were chess and «tourism». Political and educational work among athletes was carried out through talks, lectures, and reports delivered by sports and Komsomol officials. The committee also monitored incidents that occurred during sports events, particularly football matches. The work of the regional committee for physical culture and sports was «frequently criticized», and «tasks were set to eliminate shortcomings», which ultimately led to the resignation of Committee Chairman V. Fedak. At the end of 1946, D. Sas was appointed as the new head of the committee.